Cuzco and the Sacred Valley

Come end of May, Nicole left me in South America for the USA to work at one of their ´summer camps´ as a counsellor. From here on, I knew the style of travelling would vastly change, and although naturally a social being, I booked myself into the famed party hostel known as "LOKI" in Cuzco before exploring more of the city itself.

LOKI had a great atmosphere, with an onsite bar, dedicated TV room, free Internet and a large chillout courtyard complete with hammocks for sleeping in the sun. In addition, despite 8 people per dormitory room there was plenty of space and the showers were actually 'hot and with pressure', which was a proper first since leaving Argentina back in April.

At this point I bumped into many people who Nic and I had met previously at one time or another in the prior 3 months of our travel; a phenomena of co-incidence that has become accepted as the norm on almost every travelling trip I´ve taken to date :)

Cuzco with it´s unique mix of Spanish architecture blended in with old Inca stonework made for an unexpectedly romantic atmosphere, and although a bit pricey for Peru, it had countless great places to eat, drink, dance and party way into the nights. This was also my first opportunity for proper interaction of the local Peruvian people, of whom I decided were most likable due to their extravert natures and frequent cheeky smiles. Despite my Spanish still at ´phrasebook level´ I held a few amusing conversations with local street artisans, bar staff, store vendors and other randoms whilst there, which is always nice when experiencing a country on that level.

The following few days were spent visiting the famous Inca built sites, and a day trip in and around the nearby ´Sacred Valley´ which offered much to see in the way of fascinating archaeological sites AND much to buy in the way of local street markets, especially at Pizac. In fact the Cuzco area would be the perfect place to stock up on the next 10 year of Christmas presents cheaply, except one would have to carry everything out with them afterwards.

Although I intended to stay in Cuzco longer, I decided to join friends Nicky and Phil from England and Ohio, USA respectively. So without much time to sleep in (let alone update this blog), I was off again, in the direction of ´Arequipa´ to travel the southern-circuit of Peru.

Salkantay to Machu Picchu

In what was to almost assuredly guarantee one of our most memorable experiences in all South America, Nic and I undertook the 5-day 'Salkantay trek' out of Cuzco to the legendary lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. Although discovered as recently as 1911, the mysterious ancient ruins set amongst high altitude cloud-forest and accompanied by striking peaks on all sides, are of such astounding beauty that the archaeological site is now considered one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

Longer, higher, supposedly more scenic and infinitely more remote than the well-trodden "Inca trail", our trek would approach the city from sacred Mt Salkantay via the same route of approach as American adventurer Hiram Bingham, who first discovered the city with help from some local Peruvian farmers who´d apparently known about its existence some time beforehand.

Despite 'Salkantay' being a far cry from the countless tourist hordes which our destination would eventually reveal, I was certainly expecting a social trek, however with 12 walkers, 3 English-speaking guides, 1 cook, 2 porters/muleteers, 4 mules and an emergency horse following behind, I was somewhat overwhelmed by this new level of "babysitting trekking". Still, with an ongoing case of tendinitis in my right knee, such an elaborately planned expedition allowed an easier decision in going ahead with the trek, given some serious US dollars had been deposited 4 months in advance to secure our placings.

My trusty 10 year old Lonely Planet guidebook amusingly stated that trekking to Machu Picchu could be done independently for as little as $20/US, with touring companies complete with tents and food costing a more hefty $75/US. Having since grown possibly into the single most visited site in South America though, I was not surprised when forking out closer to $400/US for the privilege to walk to the city; a culmination of Gringo fees of which I saw little ´spending evidence´ towards our porters or the surrounding national park itself, despite a few cushy buses transporting tourists up from the alternative $120/US train from nearby Cuzco city.

One advantage to approaching Machu Picchu the traditional hard way, is that most trekkers make it into the city well before the "granny" tourists arrive, but more importantly the blazing hot sunshine itself. Entering the city with its giant stone-framed agricultural terraces laid out before us, complete with a few grazing lamas and surrounding thick morning fog lifting briefly to reveal the steep peaks behind was a serious sight to behold. As sunrise began we realised we were in cloud rather than fog, which slowly cleared with the wind until the entire spread of the city and its precariously high location could be seen.

Our guide "Victor" lead us around all parts of the abandoned city, explaining both Hiram Bingham´s original wacky theories on certain rooms and temples (he was more adventurer than archaeologist) in comparison to today's theories, concluded via more thorough methods of study. Although the Inca culture never developed writing they were astounding stone masons and amazing road builders, developing their own message-relay system of runners and checkpoint offices spanning their empire across the high Andes. Machu Picchu itself contained many "Indiana Jones" style innovations, including the "Temple of the Sun" which cleverly used the position of the suns rays twice a year to announce the beginning of their Summer and Winter solstice periods.

Finally, after taking countless photos, Nic and I did a quick but hairy ascent scrambling up slippery rocks, hanging ropes and the occasional worn Inca-made steps up the accompanying "Manu Piccu" peak overlooking the city itself; which can be seen in the typical postcard shot seen here.

Jealous yet??? :)

Into the Amazon wetlands

More on this coming soon, including ...

... 4x4 riding












... wetlands cruising

... piranah fishing











... anaconda tracking










... alligator spotting

... monkey juggling














... and giant mozzie swatting etc :)